Joe Bonamassa may now be the reigning king of signature models – only last week, he added a new Martin signature to his roster. However, two decades ago, the Nerdville owner’s first artist model wasn’t deemed a surefire hit – so much so that it was limited to a run of 300.
“Mat Koehler over at Gibson told me that next year is the 20th anniversary… Time flies!” he says on the Gear Gab Podcast with Eric Dahl. “We originally started with 300 Custom Shop ‘Inspired By’ Les Pauls – that was my take on an old Goldtop.”
True to its name, this early model drew inspiration from Bonamassa’s childhood and his own much-modded 1955 Goldtop that came through his dad’s shop when he was just 11 years old.
“The late, great Pat Foley [Gibson artist relations executive] was the one that basically approached me about that,” he continues. “Rick Gembar, who was the head of the Custom Shop at Gibson at the time, he was the one that greenlit the whole thing. ”
During this period, Bonamassa was transitioning from being a fringe blues player to one of the leading bluesmen of the modern era.
His 2007 record, Sloe Gin, marked his first foray into the U.S. Billboard 200. He even topped the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart, and this success had an impact on signature model sales.
“I don’t think they were expecting to sell those kinds of guitars that fast,” Bonamassa says, “especially because I was not as well known, but for some reason they sold really fast, and we did other ones.”
Between signature Gibsons and Epiphones, Bonamassa’s total signature-model tally is now well into the tens, with no signs of slowing down. As for sales, he estimates that well over 40,000 Gibson and Epiphone signature models are now out in the wild.
“Custom Shop JB ones… there’s maybe a couple thousand out there. I know there’s at least 20,000 Epiphones out there, so we’re vastly approaching 25,000 Gibsons over the last 20 years.”
Despite his arsenal of models, the novelty of having his own name etched on a guitar hasn’t worn off, as Bonamassa himself explained in a chat with Norm Harris from Norman’s Rare Guitars.
Back in 2017, JoBo traded the prototype of his first Gibson signature at the legendary guitar store, prompting him to reflect on the moment it was first delivered to him.
“When you’re a kid, and you see a Gibson Les Paul, and then something that you’ve idolized over the years shows up at your door, and it says [your name] on the truss-rod cover – it was a very special day.”
